Car-coupling



(No Model.)

P. BROWN.

GAR GOUPLING.

Patented July 19. 1887.

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UNITED STATES ATENT Fries.

PERRY BROXVN, OF LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 366,712, dated July 19, 1887. Application filed October 23, 1886. Serial No. 217,049. (No model.)

To aZZ whom zit may concern.-

Be it known that I, PERRY BROWN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Louisville, in the county of Jefferson and State of Kentucky, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Car-Couplings, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings, in which Figurel is a side elevationoftwo cars coupled together and provided with my improvement. Fig. 2 is a bottom plan of the same with a buffer-substituted for one of the dead-woods, and Fig. 3 is a sectional detail.

This invention relates to car-couplings of that class in which the cars are automatically coupled as they come together; and theinven-- tion consists in the peculiar combinations and the novel construction and arrangement of parts, as more fully hereinafter described, and then particularly pointed out in the claims.

Referring by letter to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate the preferable form of my improvement, A represents a portion of a car,which car is supported upon wheels (not shown) in the ordinary manner.

B is a dead-wood secured to the end of the car, and is formed with a transverse opening to receive the coupling link, and with a horizontal recess to receive and allow of the vertical play of the coupling hook or lever O, which is pivoted on the transverse shaft D,supported in suitable bearings on the bot-tom of the car. The lever O is formed with a hook, 0, designed to drop into an opening, I), in the bottom of the dead-Wood, as shown in Fig. 3. This lever is also provided with an arm, 0, projecting rearward of its pivotal point, for a purpose hereinafter explained.

A are the brace-rods, secured to the under side of the car and provided with ears or lugs a, which form bearings for the transverse shaft E.

F is a link connecting and bracing the shafts E D.

G isa hooked lever, fulcrumed on the shaft D and provided with a tail-extension, G. At the opposite side of the shaft D is the eye H, formed, preferably, in the bar H, sleeved on the shafts D E. The shaft D is supported in suitable bearings, secured to the under side of the car in any well-known way.

I is a releasing-lever, fnlcrumed on the shaft D in proximity to the eye H, and provided with an offset or bend, so as to bring its head 2' in vertical line with the opening in the eye H, as shown in Fig. 2. The shafts D Eare provided with nuts at one or both ends, in order that the parts sleeved thereon may be readily removed when necessary.

Intermediate of the two shafts D E is journaled in suitable bearings beneath the car the transverse shaft J, to which are secured the dogs J J J arranged in such relative positions as to engage the tails of the lovers 0, G, and I, respectively, as shown in Fig. 2.

The levers C and G will ordinarily return to their normal position, which is that shown by full lines in Fig. 1, by gravity; but to aid them in their return to such position I sometimes employ a spring, as K, coiled around the shaft D, with its ends extending in opposite directions and bearing upon the under side of the tails of the lever CG, as shown in Fig. 2. The ends of the shaft J are bent at right angles to its length to form handles j, by which it is operated.

L L are plates pivoted to the under side of the car, and between these plates and the bottom of the car the shaft Jpasses.

The dead-wood B, coupling-lever O,and dog J may sometimes be omitted, as the lovers G and eyes H, with their accessories, form the main means of coupling; and when these parts are omitted I generally substitute therefor a spring-buffer, as shown at the left of Fig. 2, which buffer is constructed as follows:

M is a casting or block secu red to the end of the car and formed with a tapering socket, m.

N is a rod carrying the buffer-head N, which is tapering to correspond inversely with the socket m.

0 is a cylinder supported in any suitable way beneath the car, and through which the rod N passes, the inner end of said rod being supported either by the block 0 or by a suitable support on the shaft E, and is provided with an adjusting-nut, a. Around this rod, within the cylinder,is a coiled spring, I, finding one point of resistance against the end of the cylinder and the other against a shoulder (not shown) formed on the rod N within said cylinder. In use the buffer-head receives the force of the shock occasioned by the coming together of the cars, which is taken'up by the as to allow the front ends of the levers G and ling still remains'good.

I to fall to their normal position; and as the cars approach each other the lever G comes in contact with the eye H, the inclined portion of the hooked end of the said lever readily al-. lowing the same to ride up and fall into said eye. When it is desired to hold the parts in such a position that they will not couple, the shaft J is turned so as to depress the, rear ends of the levers O, G, and I, which will of course elevate the forward ends of the same, and the plate or plates L turned at right angles to their normal position, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2,whcn the said'shaft cannot be revolved,

and the levers are kept in their elevated position. When it is desired to uncouple, it is only necessary to turn the shaft J, when the dogs thereon will elevate the hooked levers and the releasing-lever, so as to disengage the parts, as will be readily understood.

If a car having only an ordinary link-coupling is to be connected with a car provided with one of these couplings, the link of said ordinary coupling is run into the dead-wood B, and as its ends strike the inclined portion of the nose of the lever C the latter rises, and

the link continuing to advance, the nose of the hookfalls into the link, and'the car is thus securely coupled; or the two means of coupling may be jointly used, so that in case of one breaking, as sometimes occurs, the other coup- I, however, propose usually to dispense with the dead-wood B and its lever, except when there is a possibility of the car being used in connection with a car having an ordinary coupling.

It will be readily seen that by this construction a very convenient coupling is made, that is not only automaticallycoupled or uncoupled when required without danger, but one that can be automatically coupledwith cars having the ordinary coupling, and,moreovcr,the strain is transverse from the carframe to the trussrods.

What I. claim as new is- 1. The combination, with a car and trussrods, of a transverse shaft journaled on saidrods and one part of a coupling sleeved on said shaft, substantially as described.

2. The combination, with the ear and the truss-rods A, secure-d thereto and having formed integral therewith the ears a, of the transverse shaft E, having hearings in said cars, and one part of a coupling sleeved on said shaft, substantially as described.

. 3. A two-part coupling, one partconsisting of a pivoted hook and the other of a bar, as H, having formed integral therewith the eye H to receive the hook of the opposite coupling, and both independent of the buffer, substantially as described.

4. The combination, with a two-part coupling, each part having a hook adapted to catch on the opposite part of the coupling, of adeadwood set centrally between the hooks and provided with a coupling-hook adapted to automatically engage with a link from an ordinary coupling, substantially as described.

5. The combination, with a coupling having a hook and eye, of the lever I, independent of the coupling and having a hook adapted to lift the nose of the hook-out of the eye, and a shaft independent of the said lever for operating the same, substantially as described.

6. The combination, with a two-part coupling having a hook and eye on each part, of

a central buffer provided with a couplinghook and a shaft having dogs, as J J J for simultaneously lifting the hooks on each part,

and the hook of the buffer, substantially as described.

7. The combination, with a two-part coup ling having a hook and eye on each part, of acentral stationary deadwood havinga springbuffer therein, substantially as described.

8. The combination, with a two-part coupling having a hook and eye on each part, of a central spring-buffer provided with a stationary dead-wood, having a socket adapted to receive the head of the buffer and the entire strain of the shock when under extraordinary pressure, substantially as described.

9. The combination, with the levers G and I, ofv the shaft J, provided with dogs J J and the pivoted plate L, constructed to engage said shaft, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

10. The combination, with the transverse shaft E and the bar H, sleeved thereon at one end and formed with the eye H at the other, of the rock-shaft J and the lever I thereon, and having offset to bring its head 2' in vertical line with said eye, substantially as described.

11. The combination, with the block M, having tapering socket, of the rod N and the buffer-head N, carried by said rod,and tapered, and the spring 1? around said rod outside of said socket, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

, In testimony whereof I affi'x my signature, in 

